In women's college hockey, Kelly Madden of the Norwich Cadets may have scored the biggest goal of her collegiate career in Northfield yesterday afternoon.
Taking the number one ranked Adrian College Bulldogs to overtime, the game knotted at four goals apiece, Madden found the back of the net with 54 seconds left to go in the OT, delivering Norwich an enormous 5-4 upset win in a non-conference game against the top-ranked team in women's division three hockey.
The contest was part of the annual East-West Hockey Classic and Madden earned a spot on the All-Tournament team with her game-winner to go along with another goal she scored in regulation, both tallies her first of the season, and what a way to get on the score sheet.
The Cadets may also have gotten into the heads of the top-ranked Bulldogs, beating them in the East-West Classic for the second year in a row. Kirsten Watts also had a big game for Norwich, tying the score at three apiece after Adrian had taken the lead, Watts' goal coming while the Cadets were short-handed, and goalie Emily Lambert made 34 saves to earn the victory, improving the Cadets record to 11-3 on the season in what was arguably the team's most thrilling win of the year in front of their home fans at Kreitzberg Arena.
In men's college basketball, Northern-Vermont Lyndon took on SUNY Dehli in New York last night, and staged a second half comeback that fell just short in an 86-80 defeat.
The Hornets trailed by 19 points at halftime, but opened the second stanza with a 19-6 run, led by Jahleel Gabriel, who finished with 19 points on the night. Damon Denteh also had a strong game for Lyndon, pouring in 18 points, but the Hornets couldn't quite get over the hump and fall to 2-12 on the season, while the Broncos evened their record at 8-8.
To the pros, and in the NBA Kyrie Irving returned to the Boston Celtics line-up after dealing with an eye injury and a damaged cornea, getting a good look at the basket all night in Boston's 116-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Irving scored 17 points in his return and he wasn't alone in the double figure points brigade, as six different Celtics scored at least ten points. Jasyon Tatum had 16 of those and the Nets did all they could to help the Celtics along, committing eleven turnovers in the first quarter alone. The win was Boston's third in a row as the team tries to get out of its middle of the pack rut in the eastern conference, still in fifth place but just a game and a half behind the next on the rung Philadelphia 76ers.
In the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens lost a tight game to the Minnesota Wild in a 1-0 defeat at the Bell Centre last night, but Habs fans are nevertheless breathing a sigh of relief in learning that their top defenseman and team captain is going to be OK despite what could have been a season-ending injury.
Shea Weber went down to block a shot in the first period and was thanked for his efforts by taking a puck to the face after it ran up his stick. He toughed it out for a few more shifts but did not return to the game for the second period. The good news is that after an examination the Canadiens determined Weber can make the upcoming road trip with the team, even if he may miss a game or two as a precaution.
Mikael Granlund scored the only goal of the game for Minnesota, making it three wins in a row for the Wild, who visit the Bruins in Boston tonight. Montreal has now dropped two in a row and are hoping Weber isn't out for too long as they try to keep within the playoff bubble in the eastern conference.
Finally, the US Cross Country Ski Championships at Vermont's Craftsbury Outdoor Center wrap up today with the men's and women's freestyle competitions.
